On Election Day 2010, then-CBS Early Show anchor Harry Smith posed a hypothetical question about newly-elected Republicans to Ann Coulter: “There’ll be a routine vote, for instance, to increase the debt ceiling and the Tea Party guys are going to say, ‘Over my dead body,’ and the government comes to a screeching halt. Then what happens?” The conservative author confidently predicted: “Well, the media will blame the Republicans.” And that’s precisely what has occurred. A Media Research Center study of the Big Three network evening and morning programs finds that, when it came to assigning blame for lack of a debt ceiling resolution, ABC, CBS and NBC’s coverage has placed the overwhelming majority of the blame on Republicans’ doorstep. MRC analysts watched all 202 stories on the debt ceiling from July 1 through July 22, looking for statements which assigned blame or responsibility for the failure to reach a settlement. Of the 85 stories that included such statements, the skew was lopsidedly anti-Republican, with 56 stories (66%) mainly assigning them the blame for the impasse. Even though Democrats control both the Senate and the White House, only 17 network stories (20%) suggested they bore more responsibility, a greater than three-to-one disparity (see chart). Twelve stories offered a balanced discussion of which party ought to be blamed. [METHOD: Analysts reviewed each story, then tallied all reporter statements and soundbites which clearly assigned responsibility to Republicans or Democrats. If the majority of statements within that story assigned blame to one party or the other, it was scored as “blaming Republicans” or “blaming Democrats.” If the story contained a balanced number of statements, it was recorded as “balanced.” ] Of the Big Three networks, NBC was the most likely to pin the blame on the GOP, by a 27 to 6 margin (with four stories assigning equal blame).
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Tom Condliff’s claim that his human rights were breached was dismissed by appeal court judges A 22-stone, “morbidly obese” ex-policeman has lost his latest attempt to force the NHS to pay for stomach surgery, despite his lawyers saying he might have less than a year to live. Tom Condliff, who is 62 and 1.8m (6ft 2in) tall, had claimed that North Staffordshire primary care trust (PCT) was denying him his human rights by refusing to fund the operation. But while judges at the appeal court in London on Wednesday expressed sympathy for Condliff’s “desperate” situation, they dismissed his attempt to overturn an April high court decision in the trust’s favour. Condliff, from Talke, Staffordshire, who has diabetes and other associated illnesses, had argued he needed a laparoscopic gastric bypass operation. Condliff’s lawyers had argued that the PCT had applied a funding policy that was legally flawed and breached his human rights. The appeal judges – Lord Justice Maurice Kay, Lady Justice Hallett and Lord Justice Toulson – ruled that the funding policy did not breach human rights laws, although Toulson added: “Anyone in his situation would feel desperate.” Richard Clayton QC, for Condliff, had said his health was deteriorating and doctors feared he could have less than a year to live. He had a “severe needle phobia” and, over a number of years, insulin had not been delivered as effectively as it might have been. Condliff had developed a “gross appetite” and had started to “gorge himself” following a course of insulin. His weight had increased and his health problems multiplied. Clayton told a previous hearing: “He tried all other relevant, non-surgical interventions, including dietary and lifestyle and drug interventions, for his gain in weight, but was not successful.” The funding policy of the trust breached Condliff’s right to respect for his private and family life under article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, Clayton argued. But David Lock QC, for the trust, said the case involved difficult decisions about healthcare funding priorities, and that the trust was entitled to make such decisions without taking into account non-clinical and social factors. Toulson said there was no doubt that Condliff’s state of health “is having a seriously adverse effect on his private and family life in the most basic ways, which without bariatric surgery will continue and is likely to become worse”. But there was no violation of the European Convention of Human Rights, however harsh that might seem to Condliff, said the judge. Clayton had in effect argued that there should be “positive discrimination”, and that “private life” matters should be taken into account, which were “not clinically significant when making decisions on the allocation of funds for medical treatment”, the judges said. Toulson said: “Mr Condliff’s witness statement shows that his condition has seriously compromised his independence and dignity of life in ways which have an inevitable impact on his relationship with his wife. It is unnecessary to go into more intimate details. His life expectancy has been severely reduced. Anyone in his situation would feel desperate. “The sad fact remains that the [trust], on proper medical advice, does not consider his condition to be exceptional for someone with his diabetes, obesity and co-morbidities. As a medical judgment that is not challenged. “In my judgment the [high court] judge was right in his reasoning and his conclusion that the adoption of the policy did not contravene the [human rights] convention. I would therefore dismiss the appeal.” The other judges agreed. Condliff was refused permission to take his case to the supreme court. NHS Human rights Health James Meikle guardian.co.uk
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Foreign secretary William Hague declares Libya’s national transitional council the country’s ‘sole governmental authority’ Britain is expelling the Libyan chargé d’affaires and all eight remaining Libyan embassy staff in London after David Cameron and William Hague ruled that Libya’s national transitional council (NTC) was now the “sole governmental authority” in the country. The chargé was summoned to a meeting at the Foreign Office, where he was given three days to leave Britain. Other diplomats at the Libyan People’s Bureau, in Knightsbridge – which has been under heavy police guard since the launch of the military campaign in March – have been told to leave over the course of the summer. Hague announced the expulsions at a Foreign Office press conference on Wednesday as he invited the NTC to nominate an ambassador and other diplomats to take over the Libyan mission. The foreign secretary said: “The prime minister and I have decided that the United Kingdom recognises and will deal with the national transitional council as the sole governmental authority in Libya. “This decision reflects the national transitional council’s increasing legitimacy, competence and success in reaching out to Libyans across the country. “Through its actions, the national transitional council has shown its commitment to a more open and democratic Libya, something that it is working to achieve in an inclusive political process. This is in stark contrast to Gaddafi, whose brutality against the Libyan people has stripped him of all legitimacy.” Hague said Britain – which has temporarily closed its embassy in Tripoli – now runs its largest diplomatic mission in north Africa after Cairo in the Libyan rebel stronghold of Benghazi. This will be designated as an embassy if the NTC requests an upgrade. The decision to recognise the NTC as sole governmental authority led to the unfreezing of £91m in UK assets belonging to the Arabian Gulf Oil Company, a Libyan oil firm under the NTC’s control. Foreign Office sources said the assets were unfrozen after the NTC gave assurances that the funds would be used to purchase fuel and not arms, which would be illegal under UN security council resolutions. Hague also announced at his press conference that: • The appearance on Libyan television of the Lockerbie bomber, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, showed it had been a mistake by the Scottish justice minister to release him in 2009. • Britain only decided to recognise the NTC after it was certain that Libyan students in Britain, who are funded by their embassy, would continue to be supported. • No deadline has been set for the military campaign against the Gaddafi regime. British military chiefs have advised ministers they can continue with the bombing indefinitely. The decision to recognise an opposition group is a rare step for Britain, which declined to follow the example of the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, who recognised the NTC at the start of the conflict. Britain said at the time it could not recognise the NTC because it recognises states rather than governments. It decided to relax its position after the international Libya contact group decided at a recent meeting in Istanbul “to deal with the national transitional council … as the legitimate governing authority in Libya”. A Foreign Office source said Britain would continue to abide by the convention by which it recognises states rather than governments, saying: “These are exceptional circumstances. It was an anomaly that we had these people here still representing Gaddafi. “We dragged in the chargé d’affaires. He and his colleagues are now packing their bags.” Hague, who appeared to indicate earlier this week that Britain was more relaxed about Gaddafi’s personal future, made it clear that it would be better if he left Libya. The foreign secretary said, however, that Britain could not dictate the outcome of a political settlement to the Libyan people. “Let’s point out though, at the same time, that the view of the chairman of the NTC is that any successful political settlement does involve Gaddafi leaving Libya and that is what we continue to say is the best solution,” he said. “So don’t make any mistake about that, but we’re saying we can’t impose that or guarantee that.” Hague also said Britain was committed to ensuring that Gaddafi faces justice before the international criminal court. The foreign secretary denied that discussions about Gaddafi were part of a back channel communication with the regime, but did not deny that such a channel existed. The renewed diplomatic offensive comes as British aircraft stepped up the bombing against Gaddafi’s security and intelligence apparatus before the start of Ramadan on 1 August. Libya Muammar Gaddafi Middle East Africa Arab and Middle East unrest Foreign policy Nicholas Watt guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Rush Limbaugh’s theory: Air conditioners make people believe in global warming
July 27, 2011 No CommentI know there’s not a lot for conservative hate-radio jocks to talk about these days except the debt ceiling, how Obama created the deficit and how cutting taxes and deficits creates an incredible amount of jobs. But even by their loony standards, this is off the wall. No, not The Wall North of Winterfell . Limbaugh: People Believe In Global Warming Because Air Conditioners Make Their Homes Cool Doesn’t Limbaugh work in Florida? I bet you they have one of the highest air-conditioner-per-residence ratios in the country. It’s why so many pro athletes come out of Florida, because outdoor sports like baseball and football can be played almost year round because of the absence of what northerners call “winter.” This conspiracy by RushBo is certifiably insane, so I imagine Rep. John Boehner and Paul Ryan will be picking up on it and repeating it for the teevee soon. I’m sure they’ll agree with this thinking.
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Catherine Shoard takes a cycle tour round original locations of The Lavender Hill Mob, the classic Ealing heist comedy starring Alec Guinness Catherine Shoard Noah Birksted-Breen
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Detectives investigating the terror attacks carried out controlled explosion at Anders Behring Breivik’s rented property Police investigating the Norwegian terror attacks that left 76 people dead have detonated a stash of explosives at a farm rented by Anders Behring Breivik. Detectives believe the 32-year-old made the bomb that killed eight people in Oslo on Friday using fertiliser he purchased under the guise of being a farmer. The controlled explosion on Tuesday night came after police named four of the victims , including three caught up in the city centre bombing and a 23-year-old shot dead in the Utøya Island gun rampage. Police would not reveal the quantity of explosives found at the leased farmstead in Rena, about 100 miles north of the capital, but said the detonation was carried out safely. As the investigation continues, security officials have cast doubt on claims made by the gunman that he had accomplices who were still at large. At his first court appearance in Oslo on Monday, Breivik told a closed courtroom that he had links to “two other terror cells” . But Norway’s domestic intelligence chief Janne Kristiansen said no proof has yet been found to link Breivik to right-wing extremists in the UK or elsewhere. She told the BBC: “I can tell you, at this moment in time, we don’t have evidence or we don’t have indications that he has been part of a broader movement or that he has been in connection with other cells or that there are other cells.” The intelligence chief added that she did not believe the killer was insane, but calculating and evil, and someone who sought the limelight. At a press conference in Oslo on Tuesday, Johan Fredrikson, the chief of Oslo police, said that he still had no evidence that there was an accomplice or network behind the attacks despite an international investigation, including involvement by British police. Five days after the massacre, authorities and ordinary Norweigans are still jumpy. On Wednesday morning, Oslo’s main station was closed after a suspicious suitcase was discovered on a bus. All train and bus services out of the centre were halted while police investigated the suspect case, which turned out to be harmless. Also on Wednesday morning, Oslo police caused panic by putting out an alert saying they were looking for a “dangerous” and unstable man who claimed a connection with Breivik. But shortly after releasing the alert, police said they had wrongly connected the mentally ill man with Friday’s massacre. “This has nothing to do with Friday’s case,” a police official said after recalling the memo. “The news release was sent out in error. This is a routine mission by the police. The police have been criticised for their failure to reach Utøya island sooner on Friday after Breivik’s lawyer revealed the killer was surprised he had reached the island youth camp without being stopped by police – who took 90 minutes to arrive. It has emerged the nearest police helicopter available was not able to intervene because its pilots were on holiday. On Wednesday, the leader of Norway’s emergency police unit, Delta Force, defended its response to the atrocities, claiming the breakdown of the team’s boat didn’t cause any significant delay in its efforts to reach Utøya. Anders Snortheimsmoen told reporters that even though the assigned boat quickly broke down, the team immediately jumped into another, better boat. He says his team arrived at the harbour at the same time as local police and that the boat mishap caused “no delay”. Meanwhile, Norwegian investigators have assigned a whole unit to pore over the 1500-page manifesto Breivik emailed to more than 1,000 contacts less than 90 minutes before he launched his attack. One paragraph in the diatribe describes a detailed “survivor’s kit” which he claimed to be preparing in advance to help him break out of prison, including weapons, ammunition, nutrition, and cash. The Norwegian tabloid VG reports how Breivik describes plans for another terrorist attack, should he manage to escape from jail, including a “hit-list” of targets. Norway Anders Behring Breivik Europe Global terrorism Helen Pidd guardian.co.uk
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Energy supplier claims punishment for mishandling customer complaints is ‘disproportionate’ British Gas believes that its regulator is disproportionate in finding the company in breach of regulations relating to customer complaints. The energy company has been fined £2.5m by Ofgem for failing to deal properly with customer complaints. The fine follows a year-long investigation into the company which found it breached regulations on how energy companies should handle disputes. Ofgem found: • British Gas failed to re-open complaints from customers who indicated they felt the matter was not resolved adequately. • It failed to provide sufficient information to complainants about the energy ombudsman service. • It failed to deal properly with complaints from micro-businesses because it had not implement the necessary processes and practices. Ofgem said the fine should be regarded as a warning that all energy companies must take complaint handling seriously and treat their customers fairly. Complaint handling by mpower and EDF Energy is currently under scrutiny by the watchdog. A spokeswoman for British Gas said the company accepted the criticism about its handling of micro-business compaints and actually took the initiative to notify the regulator about its failings in that area. But the company felt that finding it in breach of rules for failing to provide adequate information to consumers about the energy ombudsman was “disproportionate to the mistake”. The spokeswoman said that the company had failed to provide information about the ombudsman to a few customers making complaints, but added: “It didn’t prevent anyone getting the redress they needed.” In a statement, British Gas said: “At British Gas, we look after half the homes in Britain and we take great pride in our customer service. Recently, Consumer Focus awarded British Gas the top four-star rating for complaint handling and we’ve won European call centre of the year for the last two years. Therefore Ofgem’s finding us in breach on a minor point when we have 16m accounts, is, we feel, totally disproportionate to the issue. “However, specifically for our micro-business customers, we acknowledge our service fell short of what they should expect from British Gas, for which we apologise. We knew we had an issue here which is why we flagged it to Ofgem. After a £4m investment, we are now confident we meet all of our regulatory requirements”. Ofgem is also investigating Scottish Power, Scottish and Southern Energy, EDF Energy and npower for misselling and is carrying out two investigations into Scottish Power for potentially misleading marketing and the difference between its standard credit and direct debit tariffs. Sarah Harrison, Ofgem’s senior partner for sustainable development, said: “We warned the industry in March that we would be backing up our plans to reform the retail market with a tough approach to enforcement. This £2.5m fine against British Gas, and the other £10m of fines imposed on the energy industry so far this year, sends a clear message to energy companies that they must abide by the rules.” Audrey Gallacher, director of energy at watchdog Consumer Focus , welcomed the fine: “Frustrating the attempts of customers to get complaints sorted out is unacceptable. It adds to the lack of trust in energy companies and it denies British Gas important insight into customer service problems. “The importance a company gives to solving customer complaints is a good indication of how much they value their customers. British Gas deserve some credit for being open about its failures and taking action to put them right. But the experience of its customers when they make a complaint in the future will be the real test.” This is the second time this month British Gas has been fined by Ofgem. British Gas Business was penalised £1m after the regulator’s investigation found the company had misreported the amount of electricity supplied under the government’s renewables obligation. British Gas claims it spotted the problem – it said an over-reporting of the amount of renewable energy it was supplying caused by human error – and notified the regulator. Richard Lloyd of Which? said: “Suppliers should always tell customers that they can take an unresolved complaint to the energy ombudsman. It’s well worth people pursuing this as the majority of complaints assessed by the ombudsman are upheld, and seven in 10 include financial compensation. “Which? also wants the regulator to provide much clearer information about complaints in the energy industry so that everyone can see how customers are being treated. It says Ofgem should now follow the lead of the financial services industry and regularly publish data on complaints, broken down by each company.” Customers with a complaint must give their energy supplier a chance to solve the problem – within an eight-week deadline – before approaching the energy embudsman . Energy bills Consumer affairs Household bills Energy industry Gas Jill Insley guardian.co.uk
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Bank’s profits down 21%, in part due to £538m cost of mis-selling insurance – potentially delaying float of its UK arm A £538m provision to cover compensation for customers mis-sold payment protection insurance in the UK knocked a dent in the profits of Spanish bank Santander, which has been hoping to float the UK business on the London stock market. The bill revealed by Santander on Wednesday means that all the major players in PPI – which was supposed to pay out if customers lost their jobs or fell ill but often failed to do so – have now admitted the financial cost of mis-selling the insurance during the past decade. Bailed out Lloyds Banking Group kicked off the process after setting aside £3.2bn in May, while the Royal Bank of Scotland is providing £850m , Barclays £1bn and HSBC £270m. Profits at Santander fell 21% to €3.5bn (£3bn), in part because of the provision. Ana Botin, the head of the UK business and daughter of Santander chairman Emilio, complained about the impact of regulatory changes on the bank’s business. She stressed the UK arm was beating its pledges to lend to small businesses, as set out in the Project Merlin agreement with the government in February. “We continue to be a consistent lender to homeowners, despite weak demand, and to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), to which our lending grew by 27% and where we continue to exceed our lending commitments made under the Merlin agreement,” she said. The fall-off in mortgage lending was stark, after rapid expansion by Santander in the immediate aftermath of the 2008 banking crisis when other players pulled out of the home loan market. However, the Spanish bank is now no longer able to keep up with the pace at which home loans are being repaid. Net lending – which takes account of mortgages repaid – was negative by £400m in the first half, falling 11%. However, for small businesses the stock of lending was up 27% and gross lending – which adds up loads repaid and new ones granted – reached £4bn, some £2.1bn of which was for SMEs. The Bank of England is due to publish an official six-month update on Project Merlin on August 12, to show if the banking industry is meeting the pledge to lend £76bn to SMEs and £190bn to businesses generally. While the bank’s parent company has said it wants to float the UK arm this year, the City now believes such a move is unlikely until 2012, when there will be a clearer view on the regulatory changes imposed by the government following the recommendations of the independent commission on banking (due on September 12). Botin is already concerned about the impact of requirements to hold more liquid instruments such as government bonds on overall profitability. Over the past 18 months, the bank has built up its hold of liquid assets by £30bn. Banco Santander Banking Payment protection insurance Insurance Jill Treanor guardian.co.uk
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Justice secretary reacts to MPs’ report showing only a quarter of probation officers’ time is spent in direct contact with offenders The justice secretary, Kenneth Clarke, has vowed to end the “tickbox, bean-counting culture” of the probation service after MPs revealed that officers spend as much as 75% of their work time on administrative duties rather than dealing directly with offenders. Clarke expressed dismay after reading in a report, published on Wednesday by the Commons justice select committee. The panel of MPs said they accepted that probation officers had to do a certain amount of work that does not involve dealing directly with offenders, but were “staggered” to find that could be as much as 75%. “No one would suggest that it would be acceptable for teachers (who also have to do preparatory work and maintain paperwork) to spend three-quarters of their time not teaching,” they said. “The value which really effective probation officers can add comes primarily from their direct contact with offenders.” The rest of the probation officer’s time is split between computer activity, drafting correspondence and reports, meetings and dealing with other red tape, the report found. The MPs took evidence from one chief probation officer who said it was true that a routine offender in the middle of their probation order might be seen for only 10 minutes, but a serious violent offender who was coming out of prison would mean several hours a week contact time. They said a “tickbox culture” imposed by the advent of the national offender management service (Noms), which took over prison and probation a decade ago, was part of the root cause of the growth in bureaucracy. The committee’s report was highly critical of the impact of Noms on the probation service, describing it as a prison service takeover. The MPs said they wanted to see an external review of the future of Noms, saying its creation had not led to a joined-up treatment of offenders and had not proved itself proficient at handling national contracts for services such as for bail accommodation and facilities management. Clarke said he “entirely” shared the committee’s analysis, but insisted changes had been made to Noms since he took over as justice secretary. He said he intended to use the report to address the problem, but made it clear there would be no additional money for the service. “We knew it was a problem,” he told BBC Radio 4′s Today programme. “We’ve been addressing it. It goes back to the failed system of management where you pile targets, and micromanagement and stipulate to people what they should do, which we are getting rid of. “I’ve already started addressing this. We have reduced the number of targets, we have streamlined the national standards, we have said we are going to give probation officers their professional discretion.” The justice secretary refused to say how much time officers should spend dealing directly with offenders, saying he was opposed to “microtargets”. “What I want to measure the probation service by is what works, what output are they producing,” he said. The justice select committee report also called for the government’s “payment by results” proposal to open probation up to competition to be looked at again. The MPs argued that, while there is a lot of scope for new organisations to provide probation services, there is a danger that payment by results will overlook the rights of victims and offenders’ obligations towards them. Clarke indicated plans to bring “outside organisations” into the system, and said he wanted more “professional discretion” in the service. He said it was “simply not feasible” to put more money into the system, but that changes to the service could save money “if you do it properly”. “The one I’m keenest on is community payback – unpaid work,” he said. “You make people work for no pay on something that is of value to the community. It’s a very good idea, which I’ve inherited, but it’s not properly organised.” Harry Fletcher of the probation union Napo, said: “The report confirms that Noms has been a major problem from the start. Napo warned in 2004 that Noms would be a bureaucratic nightmare. “It is scandalous that probation staff now spend 75% of their time on form-filling and responding to centrally driven emails. Even Daniel Sonnex, who brutally murdered two French students three years ago, was seen for just 20 minutes a week. “The last 10 years have witnessed a massive rise in the constant government monitoring of probation staff to the detriment of face-to-face contact with offenders. “This does not enhance public protection but undermines it. This flawed historical trend must be reversed.” Kenneth Clarke House of Commons Prisons and probation Hélène Mulholland Alan Travis guardian.co.uk
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ITV announces interim dividend of 0.4p and plans to launch payment systems for its online ITV Player ITV is to launch its long-awaited TV micropayment system in January, as the broadcaster forecast an end to its summer advertising slump in September with television ad revenues expected to be “broadly flat”. ITV, which announced its first payment to shareholders since 2008 with an interim dividend of 0.4p in results for the six months to 30 June, said it intends to launch a range of pay systems for its online television ITV Player. The broadcaster added that total revenues were up 4% year on year to £1.03bn in the six months to the end of June. Within this the broadcasting and online division grew revenues by 3% to £887m. Online revenues increased by 33% year on year as the ITV Player recorded a 19% increase in average monthly unique users and “long-form video views” – essentially whole TV shows watched via PC or handheld devices such as phones and tablets – rose 64% to 180m. “Our pay mechanism will launch at the turn of the year; we have picked our partners,” said Adam Crozier, chief executive of ITV. “We are working on the consumer proposition, what people are prepared to pay for and what will work and won’t work.” Crozier said ITV would probably run a number of different [payment] models in the first few months after the launch. The broadcaster has been experimenting with different online viewing models with “register-to-view trials” for Champions League matches, Indian Premier League games, The Only Way is Essex and webisodes of Coronation Street. ITV originally announced plans to launch a micropayment system for the ITV Player in August last year, with a launch timeline of the fourth quarter this year , a delay that Crozier downplayed. “We originally said there was a possibility of doing it then [in the fourth quarter],” he said. “From a technical point of view we could do it but we want the consumer proposition right. We want a softer launch.” ITV, which has experienced a tough early summer , reporting the first fall in TV ad revenue in 18 months in May, said TV ad revenues will be down 2% in July and 4% in August. Looking ahead to September, a key month for the broadcaster, ITV is tentatively forecasting TV ad revenue to be “broadly flat” year on year. The broadcaster said that overall TV ad revenue across the third quarter will be “slightly down” year on year, but ahead of the market. Commenting on the level of the dividend, Crozier said that the aim was for a “dividend that was sustainable” and that ITV has adopted a “progressive policy” for future payouts. ITV will be particularly pleased with what analysts at UBS described as a “stronger than expected” performance at ITV Studios, the broadcaster’s in-house production arm, which grew total revenues by 4% year on year to £264m. The performance was primarily driven by ITV Studios international production operation, which helped boost the division’s “external revenues” – commissions for broadcasters other than ITV – by 11% to £140m. “While there’s still a long way to go, we’re starting to see potential in the level of new work coming through ITV Studios with 68 new commissions so far this year, of which 29 are international,” said Crozier. Crozier pointed to the success of Prime Suspect, which is being remade for the US in a co-production for NBC, and Titanic, which has been penned by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes and already sold to 15 broadcasters. Earnings before interest, tax and amortisation at the division fell by £5m, to £38m, but Crozier said this was primarily due to a strategy of investing in new talent and more pilots. Asked about looking at making acquisitions to boost the production division – ITV has just £52m in debt and has access to almost £1bn in cash – Crozier said that the real issue was looking to organically fix ITV Studios. Crozier also said that ITV is not working on any plans to potentially buy back the TV rights to Formula One motor racing, which the BBC is widely expected to drop when the current deal expires. • To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email editor@mediaguardian.co.uk or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly “for publication”. • To get the latest media news to your desktop or mobile, follow MediaGuardian on Twitter and Facebook ITV ITV Digital Digital media Television Television industry Media business Mark Sweney guardian.co.uk
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